Say goodbye to Geneseo and Brockport swimming and diving teams as they leave the Division 3 SUNYAC conference.
Next year there will be some major changes in the SUNYAC swim world. One of the most impactful changes is Geneseo leaving the conference. Many swimmers, divers and teams will benefit greatly from these changes as Geneseo is the fastest and biggest rival in the SUNYAC Conference.
For the past several years Geneseo swimming and diving has had consecutively unbelievable seasons with this year winning their 10th-straight SUNYAC title since 2013.
At an average SUNYACS meet Geneseo typically sweeps every event on both the women’s and men’s side having at least one person, if not multiple, placing 1st or in top 3 in every event. Overall, ending the meet as SUNYAC Champs and taking home many team and individual conference awards every year.
At the 2024 SUNYAC Conference meet the Geneseo men’s team took home swimmer of the year, diver of the year and rookie of the year awards. Geneseo women’s team won its 16th straight and 31st overall sunyac swimming and diving championship. Overall, the men’s and women’s team earned 33 All-SUNYAC honors at the 2024 sunyac championships.
To receive All-SUNYAC honors, you must place first, second or third place. You then receive the titles first-team, second-team and third-team honors.
To put it into further perspective, when one person from any team beats Geneseo out of 1st place in any event at SUNYACS, every team in the conference cheers with satisfaction and the crowd goes crazy. At the 2023 SUNYAC championships Cortland men’s 200 medley relay placed second against Geneseo, until the announcement was made that Geneseo had disqualified. The pool went crazy, and every team started cheering with satisfaction from the fact that Geneseo was disqualified in one relay. Thats the sound of pure rivalry if I’ve ever heard it.
Throughout Geneseo’s swim career in the sunyac division 3 conference, they have become every team’s rival and enemy.
However, the closest competition Geneseo has had over the years has been Cortland. Cortland every year for the past several years has placed second behind Geneseo at SUNYACs. With Geneseo’s news of leaving the conference the Cortland swim team has found a glimpse of hope as this will give Cortland a strong and probable chance of finally achieving the SUNYAC championship title that they have been long striving for.
Every year the Cortland swim team has put in the work to get as close as possible to be Geneseo’s biggest competition. At this year’s 2024 Sunyac conference meet Cortland had many 2nd and 3rd and some 1st places coming close to Geneseo.
Leah Bernhardt placed 1st in the 500 free with 5 Geneseo girls places below her. Kellen Dickman placed .09 seconds behind Geneseo putting him in second place. Hunter Bernhardt placed 2nd in the 500 free behind Geneseo. Cortland women’s and men’s 800 free relay placed 2nd behind Geneseo.
Looking at those stats many people would assume that Geneseo would be thrilling news to all, especially Cortland. However, many people have mixed feelings about the change, especially those who are returning for their last season.
Senior Emily Lantry, who will be returning for her extra year of eligibility due to covid, feels different for next season. “I feel lucky that I have the opportunity to swim one last time without them there. Although, it’s sad there will be less competition, it will be nice to win next year.”
Rising seniors Mason Rowlands also has mixed feelings about the changes, “I’m excited for the opportunity at a SUNYAC championship win” Rowlands said. “Although the competition that Geneseo brings to the meet will be missed.”
Others see it as a great opportunity for themselves and their team with benefits that will help them score and place higher.
Rising senior Patrick Kivlehan is looking at it with a positive light, “The competition next year is definitely going to be different next year, which is a good thing because I have the chance to score more for my team.” Kivlehan said. “But Geneseo is a very good team, and I think their swimmers pushed other athletes to be their best.” Kivlehan then added.
Although they have been a constant tough competitor over the years Cortland is grateful for the motivation that it has given them in the pool. However, Cortland is using this change and opportunity to their advantage with the hopes of now claiming the SUNYAC championship title next season.
Geneseo is not the only team leaving the sunyac conference.
While the Geneseo swim team leaving the SUNYAC conference is a big change that will benefit all sunyac teams, Brockport Swim team leaving the conference is a big plus side for specifically the Cortland women’s team.
Brockport and Cortland women’s swimming and diving team have not always been rivals. However, over the past couple of years as the Brockport women’s team grew stronger, they came closer to taking the Cortland women’s consecutive second place spot at the SUNYAC Championships.
Tensions rose between the two teams at this year’s sunyacs as the Cortland women had worries that they will lose their second-place spot to Brockport due to their successful season. Before sunyacs there was speculation that the Brockport women’s team will place second overall knocking the Cortland women to third.
After a nail-biting close competition between the two women’s teams at this year’s SUNYACS Cortland’s women’s team came out on top and placed 2nd while Brockport placed 3rd.
One would think many of the Cortland women would be satisfied to not have that again next year locking in most likely now a first-place win. Clearly, Cortland loves their competition because many of the swimmers feel the opposite and will miss the competition Brockport provided them.
Rising junior Julia Bryce feels exactly that, “I am very distraught that Brockport is leaving the conference.” Bryce said. “They were our closest competitors and I fear that when they leave there will be less motivation to grow as a swimmer.”
Senior Mackenzie Dickman, coming back for a 5th year, was hoping for Brockport’s competition on her last year.
“For my last year here, I was hoping I can get best times with the same competition at sunyacs, so it’s a bummer that they won’t be returning.” Dickman said. “However, it will be nice having a greater opportunity to place better at my last sunyacs.”
Senior Emily Lantry, coming back for a 5th year, has experienced tough competition from Brockport girls in her main event backstroke. However, Lantry is also disappointed with the news of Brockport’s leaving.
“Although they were a tough competition, they were also a good competition.” Lantry said. “So, I’m more so disappointed than thrilled that they are leaving the conference. I think that, especially for me as a backstroker, it was great competition that helped push me and motivate me at sunyacs to get the times that I have today.”
Brockport leaving the conference will benefit the Cortland women’s team statistically speaking, giving them less competition in the pool. However, the Cortland women will miss the competitive factor next year.
While this can be a bummer for Cortland in certain circumstances, Brockport may also feel the same emotions as they are leaving a conference, they have been so familiar with for so long.
One of the biggest competitors from Brockport women’s team who has put up quite the fight against Cortland women in the backstroke, is Miya Vitale who placed 2nd in the 100 back at the 2024 sunyacs and broke the school record in the 200 back.
“It is sad leaving a conference our team has been a part of for so long.” Mita Vitale said. “Going to SUNYACS for many years has made us extremely close with other teams in the conference…It’s going to be hard having to step away from that.” Vitale added. “But it’s exciting to be entering this new conference where we can build bonds and memories with other teams while continuing to build them with Geneseo. I wish the SUNYAC conference the best.”
Vitale has been one of those competitors that motivates people in the pool that Cortland will miss.
Yes, Geneseo and Brockport have given many teams a run for their money during the season and at the conference champs. They have also played a vital role in motivating teams and creating a friendly and fun competitive environment at the SUNYAC championships every year. Both teams have been a part of this conference since the beginning and have made it a memorable experience in many ways.
As someone on the Cortland swim team myself, I was thrilled when I first heard the news as well as many of my other teammates were as well. The news spread like wildfire as everyone was texting each other. I immediately had this adrenaline as my thought instantly transferred to next year’s sunyacs thinking about the feeling of placing first. The feeling of knowing that we have such a great opportunity and chance to go home next season as sunyac champs is exciting.
As I was thrilled about the news, I also thought about the feeling of competition like everyone else, and how that feeling may be lost. I hoped to still feel the nerves I typically feel before I step up on the blocks for an event at sunyacs. While I have never personally competed against another Geneseo swimmer or had my own individual rival I competed against, it still creates a lot of changes. I enjoy watching the close races that come down to the fingertips and tenths of a second. I enjoy everyone going wild as someone out touched a Geneseo swimmer. I enjoy the constant battle between Cortland and Geneseo relays competing to the last second and the crowd going crazy. I enjoy watching the Brockport women and Cortland women’s tension rise as they compete for first.
However, it’s not just the swimming that these teams, especially Geneseo, have impacted greatly. It is also what they add to the environment at the sunyac championships.
Geneseo enters sunyacs with this high energy and hinger for competition and winning that you can feel when they walk in the room and when they dive in the pool. Their loudness when they cheer and celebrate spreads through the room. It has become an “out of pool” competition between Cortland and Geneseo of who can cheer the loudest. The chants and cheers between each team seeing who can be the loudest. Brockport was also another one of the louder teams.
Brockport entered each sunyacs dressed in Hawaiian shirts and leis with a cheerful and excited attitude ready for the weekend. They turned a competitive and nerve wrecking environment into a fun and friendly space. They brought their Brockport swim traditions to sunyacs and involved everyone in them. Each year they would play the song YMCA at t sunyacs and Brockport swimmers would stan on the bulkhead in the middle of the people and start the YMCA dance that eventually the whole crowd and every other team would join in on including the electric slide. It brought this sense of relaxation to the pool and eased the stress of the swimmers.
One of Brockport’s most common traditions that they brough to sunyacs is their banana dance. On the last day of sunyacs before it all ends one Brockport swimmer stands on the starting blocks and the other stands in the middle of the pool on the bulkhead, each holding two bananas. They would start a chant and point to the crowd and the crowd would respond with the same cheer they tell us too. After they end their cheer, they throw their bananas into the crowd and jump into the pool.
It’s these small things that these teams contribute that impact the sunyacs conference and the way that they do in and out of the pool. They make a great competitive environment and a great friendly environment.